PETALING JAYA: Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin did not consult party leaders before announcing his plan to resign as chairman of Perikatan Nasional (PN), says the party’s secretary-general Azmin Ali.
Azmin said he was caught off guard and was unprepared to respond to media and public questions about the resignation, Chinese-language online news portal Oriental Daily reported.
“We are managing a coalition, not a single party. Managing a small branch is challenging enough, let alone managing parties with four different ideologies and backgrounds,” he was quoted as saying.
“As secretary-general, I received no communication. At the time, we were disappointed because we had to face the media and the public asking, ‘What happened?’”
Azmin said that after Muhyiddin returned from London, a discussion took place during which the reasons for his resignation were explained.
Despite his initial frustration, Azmin praised Muhyiddin’s leadership and the coalition’s achievements over the past five years.
“Muhyddin was successful. Over the last five years, he has led the party. Since its formation, he has been the chairman and has successfully united various forces under the PN banner.”
He also insisted that Muhyiddin was still the PN chairman as the resignation process had yet to be finalised.
“We also must follow the party constitution. According to Article 8.3, Clause 1b of the PN constitution, the chairman’s resignation must be approved by the Supreme Council before it takes effect,” he said.
Muhyiddin announced his decision to step down as PN chairman on Dec 30, in the wake of the Perlis political crisis. The position remains vacant, although PAS has laid claim to it.
Questions have also been raised about the legitimacy of his resignation, with some saying that it requires confirmation by the PN Supreme Council.
